Heathrow to open £2.5bn Terminal 2 next year

Heathrow is set to open its £2.5bn Terminal 2 next year, the airport has announced.

The new terminal will have a capacity of handling 20 million passengers a year and will house 30 airlines including including Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus.

The new terminal, which has a 50,000 square metre “wave roof”, is hoping to ease the airport capacity crisis with easier processes put in place for check-in, security and departures.

A one senior Heathrow official told the Daily Telegraph: “You will probably be able to go from your car to a glass of Champagne in the departure lounge in about 20 minutes.”

Treasury minister Lord Deighton said the project “reflects best practice in infrastructure delivery, progressing on time and to budget, working collaboratively with its suppliers”.

The airport’s Terminal 1 will be demolished in 2016, according to plans announced yesterday. Plans to demolish Terminal 3 and expanding Terminal 2 to make it roughly the same size as Terminal 5 are also on the cards.

By around 2030, the airport is expected to be entirely rebuilt around two main terminals, two and five.